Catholicism

I was raised as a Catholic and even though I am no longer practicing, in fact I more fall under the category of agnostic, there are still many of my core beliefs and tendencies that stem from this particular religious upbringing. I'll start with the aspects of the faith that I agree with and try to emulate in my day to day life. First of all, I have to say that my views on the death penalty definitely stem from my catholic upbringing. I'm a firm believer that it's not our place as a society to decide whether someone lives or dies, no matter what they have done and I know that is also the stance of the Catholic church. Another area I agree with the church is their stances on most wars. From what I know, the last war that the United States was involved in that the catholic church officially approved of was World War II, but again, that's just from my knowledge. There are also some areas that I'm a bit in the grey with. For instance, abortion is a huge issue with the catholic church and my views don't quite line up with it on that particular issue. Personally, if I ever got someone pregnant, either in or out of wedlock, I would want them to keep the child. I believe that life does start at conception, and even if we couldn't afford to keep the child I would strongly stress the option of adoption over abortion. However, I also believe that even though the man should have a say in the matter, it's the woman's final call in the end. I also don't believe that it's my place to tell others what they can or can't do in the same situation which I know for a fact is not what the church believes. Another big problem I have with the church is the sexual misconduct. I think any priest found guilty of sexual misconduct should be immediately excommunicated and am saddened to know that, even though the church has made efforts to curb these horrendous instances and take action against them, they still happen. However, all that aside, the church has done some fantastic things. They are the worlds largest charity, they've built hospitals, schools, and to this day do so much good in the world. The cultural contributions of Catholicism need to be mentioned as well. Countless pieces of art, music and literature have come from Catholicism and whether or not you agree with their stances, you simply have to appreciate that out of the pure aesthetic value. The church has been on both the right and wrong side of history, but that just goes to show that we need to remind ourselves that the church is made up of fallible human beings. The inquisition and the crusades, for starters, are instances of them being in the wrong, but again, we have to remind ourselves that we are all just as imperfect as the church and we all make mistakes. I have mixed views on the various popes that the church has had. For instance, I very much like the current Pope. I think he truly emulates the teachings of Christ in his charity, humility, and his overall demeanor and actions. I also like pope John Paul the 2nd, particularly because of all the efforts he made to bring together the three Abrahamic religions for civil dialogue. There have also been, unfortunately, many popes who had damaged the reputation of not only the church, but of Christians everywhere with their actions, or inactions. All in all, you have to take the good with the bad when it comes to the church. Catholicism isn't going anywhere. It has been around for centuries, and will most likely be around for centuries more. They have done both a lot of good, and a lot of bad for the world, but none the less, the church is relevant and will continue to play a huge part in the lives of millions.